Terrible picture but...
on her website it says she suffers from Rheumatoid Arthritis. Steriods are one form of treatment for RA. From
http://www.arthritissupport.com/underst ... heumatoid/
Treatment
Medications are usually aimed at alleviating the symptoms. Aspirin is usually the first drug to try, since it is inexpensive and effective.
A class of drugs called NSAIDs, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are the next course of action. However, response to NSAIDs can vary, so experimentation is usually called for. In the long term they are known to cause side effects, particularly stomach upset and gastrointestinal bleeding. Fortunately, a new class of drug is now on the market, COX-2 inhibitors, which help pain reduction without the side effects of NSAIDS. The newer drugs are more expensive, but their dosage is lower than other medications.
More powerful anti-rheumatic drugs are used when the anti-inflammatory drugs fail to provide adequate help. Antimalarial compounds containing hydroxychloroquine sulfate have produced a good response in. Others, such as the corticosteroid prednisone can result in rapid symptomatic improvement until treatment is discontinued. Finding the right balance between dosage and relief is important when using steriods, as long term use carries many side effects.
Might be a hard balance to fight RA and to keep clean. Steriods are also used when RA flares up.[/url]